I’m not really sure how it took me so long to get to this. After all, Agatha Christie is one of my favourite (and most read) authors, and this is one of her most famous books. And it’s not as though there’s some specific reason behind me not getting to it. It’s just that I generally get my Agatha Christie books from charity shops, and it took me a while to find a copy of this one. I thought that after the movie came out they’d be all over the place, but nope!

As for the story itself, it’s not my favourite of hers but I do think it’s pretty representative of her work and her writing style. If you’re new to her, I can see why it would be a good introduction, and that might be why it’s so popular in the first place. People tend to look back fondly on their first Christie, and that also tends to be the one that they recommend to other people.

In this one, Hercule Poirot investigates a murder that occurs on the Orient Express while he and his fellow passengers are all stuck in the snow. In that respect, it’s a little bit like And Then There Were None in that we know that someone on board the train committed the crime and they’re all isolated there together. I figured out the solution before the big reveal, but I’m not sure whether that’s just because I’ve read so many Christie books that I know how her mind works or even because it’s such a part of pop culture now that I’ve seen a spoiler.

All in all, I can see why this book receives the praise that it does, but I also don’t think it’s the first Christie book that I’d suggest if people asked for a recommendation. My favourite is Death on the Nile, but I’d suggest And Then There Were None for your first.